The role of oxidatively modified (e.g., by adduction of an oxidatively truncated lipid) self proteins in autoimmune diseases has not been studied. An example of such an autoimmune disease is age related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly population in developed countries. Over a third of those over the age of 75 currently have some form of this disease. Slowing or preventing the progression of AMD is an urgent public health goal. The role of inflammation is believed to be one of the crucial first steps that occur early on in patients that will eventually develop blinding AMD. In the USA, the prevalence of AMD in Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older increased from 5.0% to 27.1% between 1991 and 1999. Assuming the US population 65-years and older grows as projected to reach 70.3 million by 2030, AMD cases in this country will soon exceed 20 million. The use of intravitreal steroids as an adjuvant in the treatments of late stage AMD support the role of inflammatory responses in retinal degeneration. Presently, there are no immunosuppressive therapies used to prevent AMD.
Therefore, a better understanding of immune responses in autoimmune diseases, such as AMD, can lead to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities that can be used early on before irreversible damage occurs.